If you live in a southern state like I do it may just be hitting you that Halloween is over and fall is really upon us. Those of you who live in colder climates may have already come to this conclusion and have packed away all of your summer clothes. If so my hat is off to you and your closet full of clean, organized, fresh winter clothes. But just in case you haven’t gotten to what was supposed to be our September chore I have a few simple steps along with a hilarious cleaning source to make this job much more enjoyable. Don’t forget to put on some good music and pour a glass of wine to help make this seasonal ritual a little more ceremonious.
So, now that you have some Coltrane playing and a rosy red glass of Pinot Noir or if you’re like me a strong cup of coffee – hey, better yet, cappuccino! – we’re ready to tackle this project. One thing I love about switching out my closet is I always gain a fresh outlook, a new season, a new beginning.
Here are your very simple steps:
First – Clean all of your clothes. Any trace of perspiration, skin oils or stains can end up damaging the clothing over time so its very important to wash them every now and then. Don’t forget to check your summer shoes. A little extra work at this time makes pulling all of your summer clothes out much more fun when they are clean and ready to wear with cleanly, polished shoes.
Here’s a great book for clothes washing instructions My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag . . . and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha by Jolie Kerr. She is also the author of the hit column “ Ask a Clean Person”.
Second – Go through all of your clothes to find anything that is too old, too tight, too big – if you’re lucky – or in terrible shape. These items go in the trash or the donate pile. Here are a few suggestions of places to donate to some will even come to you to pick up the clothes.
GoodWill – http://www.goodwill.org
Salvation Army – http://www.salvationarmyusa.org
Veteran – http://www.clothingdonations.org
Third – Keep any pieces you can still wear in the fall such as: lightweight blazers, jackets and cardigans.
Fourth – It’s time to put all those clean, pretty, lightweight summer clothes away. I like Marie Kondo’s way of rolling clothes verses folding. You get more in a bin or drawer and they don’t wrinkle as badly. Be sure not to pack your bin or drawer too tightly. You want to leave some breathing rooms for your clothes.
If you want to really dive in for a deep cleaning & organization check out Marie Kondo’s book “the life-changing magic of tidying up”. It’s a great book for de-cluttering and organizing. She also has some You Tube videos on how to roll your clothes instead of folding.
You’re all done. Cheers to you!
Now for your fall clothing . . .
First – Take all clothing out of storage to let it air out.
Second – Check garments for stains and spots that you missed in the spring. Go though everything and pull out the pieces that don’t fit or just aren’t your style anymore and add them to you donate pile.
Third – if you got so excited about spring earlier in the year that you didn’t have your jackets and coats cleaned send them out before winter really hits. And if you packed away your clothes in plastic bins make sure they don’t smell like plastic if they do a little more washing and your done for the season.
You’re all ready for a new season and if you’re like me you’ll have a new outlook and you’ll be ready to take on anything.
A couple of items that may want to purchase to do this job well:
Structured fabric bags from the Container Store. They have several to choose from this one is $14.99 and is call “Grey Under Bed Storage” if you want to look it up on line.
Also check out Amazon for good deals on Sterilite containers 6 pack for around 24.00 to 38.00 depending on the size you choose. One more thing you may want to get is silica packets to help fight moisture if you use plastic bins.
